The World of Narue
by celestial kitten16
Summary: On the day Narue was born, a man came and destroyed everything. Releasing the Kyubi from her mother, he set hell upon Konoha and there were only two options to save the village: Have Kushina seal the Kyubi once more within her and kill herself or seal half into Minato and half into Narue. Kushina was willing to sacrifice herself, but Minato wasn't, so he did what he had to. femnaru
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A piercing wail echoed from within the sealed cave as Minato Namikaze's and Kushina Uzumaki's child entered the world.

"It's a healthy baby girl!" Biwako the wife of the third Hokage announced to the proud and surprised parents. They had been expecting a boy. Wrapping the child in a burnt orange blanket, Biwako brought the baby girl to her mothers face to see her child.

"Oh, Minato, she's perfect." Kushina cried as she stared at the whiskered face of her daughter, who whimpered and stared at her mother with big blue eyes the same color as her fathers ans shame as her mothers, her red hair a halo on top of her head. She was a perfect combination of both of her parents.

"She's beautiful, Kushina." Minato told his wife, as he stared down at the two girls he loved most in the world.

"Will you still be naming her Naruto?" Taji a medic for the Anbu asked.

"Narue. It's close to Naruto, and it's meaning means 'Turning into a blessing.' and that's what she is, a blessing" Minato said, and Kushina looked at her husband confused. She would have loved to name her daughter Naruto, after all it was the name of Jiraiya's character, a strong, brave, and noble ninja. Something they wanted their child to be. But this was just as good as well.

"I think it's perfect for her. Narue, welcome to the world, sweety" She nuzzled her daughters cheek as she was held close to her face giving her a kiss on her rosy cheek

"Alright, Kushina, I know your worn out from giving birth but right now I need you to exert all control onto the Kyubi now. And once we're done we can go home and show Narue off to everyone," he told her, focusing all his concentration and energy to his wife's seal.

"Right!" She nodded a little out of breath but still full of energy to get the rest done.

Suddenly their was a shriek, and the couple turned their heads to see Biwako and Taji collaps to the floor, Narue no where to be seen in either of their arms, instead she was in arms of a masked man who stood before the bleeding bodies of the medics.

"Yondaime Hokage Minato, step away from the Jinchuriki. If you don't your daughter wont live another minute longer." man wore a black cloak and orange mask spoke as he held their wailing daughter in his arms, a hand over her face as if ready to crush her soft little skull, her wails piercingly loud for an infant so small.

'_How on earth did he slip through the barrier, I didn't even sense his arrival. Who is he?' _Minato thought, taking his hand from his wife's seal, thinking it was safe and began to take slow steps towards the man who held his child's life literally in his hand.

He was barely two feet from the table when his wife gave a loud groan, the Kyuubi's seal making it's way up her body, crawling up her neck as the center of her seal bubbled. He called Kushina's name as he watched her struggle for control.

"Get away from the host. Or do you not care what happens to your daughter?" The man asked, a kunai appearing in his hand from within his sleeve and holding it to the little girls face.

"Wait..just c-calm down!" he tried, reaching a hand out, holding it out palm flat in a sign to hold on.

"You're the one who needs to calm down, Minato. I myself am perfectly calm." And then he threw Narue in the air.

"NARUE!" Kushina screamed from her place on the table as she watched the man ready his kunai before stabbing it through the air towards their little girl as she descended back down towards him.

This could not be happening. This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives as they brought their child into the world, completing their family and here it was being ruined. Their daughter was kidnapped, being held hostage by some villain and if Minato didn't do something their daughter who hadn't even been in this world for five minutes would be killed.

Quicker then they could see, Minato had caught Narue in mid air before the masked man could stab her, his feet sticking to the wall with the assistance of his chakra.

"I expected nothing less of the Yellow Flash. But what about the next one." the masked man said, and that's when Minato noticed the sizzling coming from the explosive seals stuck to the bottom of Narue's blanket.

Scooping her up, he used the hiraishin-no-jutsu to bring himself and his daughter to their house, bringing the explosion to a different location so Kushina wouldn't be hurt. With just the right timing he jumped out of the front door of the house as it exploded behind them, everything inside being destroyed as the house splintered into pieces.

"At least your not hurt, Narue." Minato said to his daughter, curled nude and uninjured in his arms. That's what mattered the most at the moment, that she was safe. The fact that she had even been in danger had him furious. Barely an hour old, and she was already being used against him and threatened. He would never let anyone hurt her. Once he was sure Narue was safe he would go back for Kushina. Beginning to stand up from where he had landed during his escape, Minato winced, finding a large pieced of wood stabbed into his ankle from the explosion.

'_He forced me to use the Hiraishin-no-jutsu. Who ever he is, he's after Kushina and now I'm not with her. I've got to hurry.' _Plucking the piece from his ankle he used his shunshin technique to teleport him and Narue to a safe location that you could only get to by using his teleporting technique.

"Just wait here a little bit, Narue. I have to go and save your mom right now, but I'll be back soon." he told her, tucking her into the bed he had there. Kissing the crimson fuzz of her hair, he told her loved her for the first time and teleported to Kushina.

* * *

He was too late to stop the masked man from taking the Kyubi from his wife, but Minato did arrive in time to save Kushina from being crushed by the raging Kyubi that now seemed to be under the enemies control.

"Minato, Narue is she…is she alright?" Kushina asked exhausted but alive.

"Yea, she's alright. She's in a safe place." he told her with a reassuring smile, before his eyes became dark as he looked over his shoulder at the Kyubi and the man who had ripped it from his wife.

"Minato, you have to stop that man and the Kyubi. He's heading for Konoha," with that warning he teleported them back to where Narue was.

* * *

Laying his wife down on her side next to their daughter, Minato watched as she cried in joy for Narue's safety, pressing her forehead to her daughter who was at last sleeping peacefully and unaware of the chaos outside. Looking at the pair Minato clenched his fists. This was his wife and daughter before him. They were both almost taken from him, they were what he was fighting for, what he was protecting.

"Minato, thank you. You can go now," she told him, all to aware that he had to leave them to fight the battle and protect their village.

"I promise I'll be back soon. I love you both." he told them before disappearing to fight in the battle against the masked man and the Kyubi.

"Don't worry, Narue. Daddy, will be back soon." Kushina told her sleeping daughter who began to whimper.

* * *

The next time Minato returned to his wife and child was to evacuate them as he brought the Kyubi farther away from the village and terribly closer to his own family.

"I have to get a barrier up as soon as I can," Minato said out of breath, his chakra levels starting to get dangerously low.

"I can still…fight, Minato," Kushina told him, in a much worse condition than him as she summoned her chakra chains from her back to hold the Kyubi down. She was still weakened from the extraction, and using her chakra chains took a great toll on her but she tried to remain tough for her husband and daughter. But despite her efforts, she couldn't deny the true condition of her body for long as coughed up blood and Narue began to wail from all the loud noise around her.

"I guess we woke her up. Sorry, Narue" Kushina apologized to her daughter with a weak smile, her violet eyes tired with dark shadows underneath them as she dripped with a cold sweat.

"Listen to me, Minato. I'm going to draw the Kyubi in… and kill myself. That way I can put off the Kyubi's resurrection. Thank you for everything." she told him, smiling up at him with such love it broke Minato's heart.

"Kushina, you've made me the Yondaime Hokage, you made me a man, and most importantly you made me this little girls father." He told her, remembering their previous years together from the moment they met to the day they were told they would be parents. She had made him the happiest man in the world.

"I'm a bit disappointed though that it has to end here. Because when I think of the future, what our life would be like together all three of us…I only picture happiness." as she spoke these words tears poured from Minato's eyes.

"My biggest regret is that I wont get to see Narue grow up." Looking at the baby she and Minato created, so beautiful and perfect it tore her apart to have to make this sacrifice. To leave her husband and child.

"Yes you will," he wouldn't let her go through with this plan, he would make sure she lived to raise their daughter. If he stopped her now she would still have a chance of survival with what remained of her chakra. With a powerful strike to the back of her neck, Minato knocked his wife unconscious so that she could live.

* * *

From a distance too far away to stop him, just on the other side of the barrier Minato put up, the Sandaime Hokage watched as his predecessor knocked out his wife and summoned the Shiki Fuin to seal half of the biju's power inside himself before using the Hakke Fuin to seal the rest of his chakra and the Kyubi inside of his daughter.

"I cant believe he's really using the Shiki Fuin!" Hiruzen exclaimed as he watched the scene before them.

"But the Kyubi is still there, it maybe smaller in size but…Was he not able to fully seal it?" One of the ninja beside Hiruzen pointed out.

"I see. So Minato is making his own child the host in order to save the village." Hiruzen said, amazed by the mans selflessness, to sacrifice his own child to be the host for such a monstrous creature, one that his wife had once held in side herself. Namikaze Minato was a true hero, and a true Hokage. No one would ever be able to rise to his level in this world.

Knowing of what was about to happen, Hiruzen vowed that he would look after both Minato's wife and daughter for him.

* * *

Once half of the Kyuubi's energy was sealed within himself, Minato gasped at the mere weight of the Kyubi's chakra inside of himself, before placing his daughter onto the ceremonial pedestal that he had summoned for the Hakke Fuin.

With some of the energy he had left, Minato summoned Gerotora the scroll toad who expressed his surprise to see the Kyubi.

"Gerotora, I'm giving you the key to the seal. I want you to take it to Jiraiya-sensei and immediately store it inside him." Opening himself up, Gerotora allowed Minato to put down the key before rolling himself closed again and disappearing, leaving Minato alone with his daughter.

"I don't have much time, Narue, and I still have to seal my chakra in you and the Kyubi. But since I wont get to see you for a while I want to say something to you." He told his daughter, tears pouring from the blue eyes that he shared with his child.

"First, always listen to your mom. Make friends, you don't need a lot, just a few really good ones who you can trust for the rest of your life. Study hard and practice your ninjutsu, and if you find something your not good at, or is really hard, don't let it get you down. Respect your sensei's and sempai's, at the academy." It was getting harder for him, and Hiruzen and the other two ninja who were watching could see it too.

"And though as your father I really don't want to think about this, but when it comes to men, do me a favor and make sure to find one like me to fall in love with. A good man. Someone who will respect you, and love you with his whole heart like I love your mother. But if you turn out anything like your mom in both looks and personalities who knows what type of weird guys will fall for you." He joked, his laugh coming out as a choked cough.

"Your going to have hard times in your life because of the burden I'm placing on you, but your mom will be there for you every step of the way. I've made sure of that." He told her, looking at the limp form of his wife on the ground unconscious beside them.

"And lastly always make sure to be yourself, have dreams and have the confidence to make those dreams come true." Coughing up blood, as the death god started to pull his soul along with half of the Kyubi's out of him he said four last words before using the Hakke Fuin and sealing the Kyubi within his daughter who gave a sleepy smile before he cast the jutsu.

"I love you, Narue. I love you, Kushina, goodbye." with those last words he finished the sealing, his life leaving him as the death god took his soul. Slumping forward, he died curled around his daughter, one of her tiny hands fisted around the finger of his hand, holding on to it for dear life as she cried.

* * *

TBC

_This was an old story I wrote that I am now revising and working on again. I really liked this idea and I just have been in a very parenty mood, I dont know why as I am only 20 and dont have kids, but once in awhile that motherly feeling will hit me really hard and sometimes for a long time where I just want to write about babies and parents and how much they love their kids. _

_Favorites, follows and reviews are appreciated.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Once the Kyuubi was sealed and the barrier had fallen, Hiruzen and the other ninja with him rushed to the family at top speed.

"She alive, but just barely" One of the ninja, a Hyuuga said as he examined Kushina's unconscious form. Hiruzen gave a sigh of relief, for at least on of the child's parents were alive to raise their daughter.

"Hmm, I thought they said they would be having a boy." Hiruzen mused as he lifted the baby girl from the ceremonial pedestal, prying her hand with some difficulty from around one of her fathers fingers. The Eight Sign seal was red and violent around her navel as she slept, unknowing of what her father had sealed within her and the burden it came with.

"She's so beautiful." A few others murmured as they caught a look at the little redhead sleeping so soundly in Hiruzen's arms.

Soon enough more ninja arrived to help bring Kushina to the hospital with her daughter, and properly dispose and lay to rest Minato who died with a smile on his face, having known the great gift he was leaving behind. His wife and daughter.

* * *

Beep…Beep…Beep- and so on the beeping went. It was the first and most annoying thing Kushina heard as she began to come back to the world of the conscious. Her head was killing her and everything ached.

When she finally opened her eyes she hissed at the blinding white light that attacked her sensitive eyes. Once she had let her eyes adjust and looked around her private hospital room, Kushina finally remembered what had happened. Minato knocked her out so she wouldn't die, so she would be there for Narue, to raise her and watch her grow.

"Narue!" Kushina cried her daughters name. Not even giving herself time to mourn the obvious loss of her husband, Kushina ripped the I.V from her arm, and the heart monitor clipped to her finger. Jumping from her bed she made a run for the door, throwing it open as she looked down the hall for someone, any one to tell her where her daughter was.

Grabbing the first nurse she could find she pretty much screamed at the woman to her tell her where her daughter was.

"I see your awake and full of energy as ever, Kushina." Hiruzen chuckled from behind the woman. When Kushina turned around she saw the old man in the Hokage robes. With her husband now gone from this earth it wasn't a surprise that he would reclaim the title of Hokage right after such a crisis when their was no current candidates for the fifth hokage after Minato. Or at least no one suitable enough to follow his great reign.

"Where is she, where's my baby?" She asked him, latching onto his robes with her hands as she nearly begged to know where her child was. She needed to see her, to know that she was safe and sound and hold her in arms.

"She is safe. Kakashi is watching over her in a room just down the hall. But before you see her I think I need to tell you what happened after Minato knocked you unconscious," And so he sat her down and told her what her husband had done. How he had sealed away half of the Kyuubi energy into himself, before sealing the rest of his chakra and the Kyuubi into their daughter, making her the next host of the nine-tails fox.

Taking a deep breath and wiping away her tears that she shed in the mourning of her husband and the burden placed on her child. She sobbed and sobbed with only the comfort of Hiruzen's hand on her back moving in soothing circles. After regaining her composure, Kushina stood and asked calmly to be taken to her daughter.

"I'm sorry, about Biwako-san, she was a good woman." She told him before entering the room, remembering that she wasn't the only one to loose their spouse. He gave her a sad smile, tears making his own aged eyes to glisten.

When Kushina entered the room she saw her husbands student, Kakashi, holding her daughter as a nurse instructed him how to feed the baby looking as if he rather be taking a kunai to the groin then nursing the infant who kept trying to pull his mask down.

"She has sensei's eyes. But the rest of her looks like you," Kakashi said as she made her way further into the room and towards them. Once she was close enough he handed the baby over, having looked uncomfortable enough as it was, Kushina relieved him of his babysitting duties.

"Hey, Narue, mommy missed you so much. I bet your hungry," She said to the little red-haired baby who blinked back at her with azure eyes that could melt anyone's heart. Her eyes were like the heart of the ocean, so blue and majestic they took her breath away just like Minato's had. Kissing her daughters forehead, Kushina took a seat in a chair in the corner before warning Kakashi that she wasn't going to be feeding her daughter with the bottle.

Blushing Kakashi decided to leave the room all together, saying that there was still a lot of repairs to do and since the older shinobi hadn't let them fight the least they could do was help with the clean up. Kushina thanked him for watching over Narue, smiling at him as he left before turning all of her attention back to her daughter.

Once Kakashi and the nurse were gone, Kushina opened her hospital robe and guided Narue to her nipple, smiling when she finally latched out. They said breast feeding was the most important form of bonding between a mother and her child. And like a faucet her tears started to run once more, uncontrollable.

"Your daddy's not here with us anymore, but you have your mommy, and I'll never leave you alone. I'm sorry for ever thinking of leaving you. I love you so much, and your daddy loved you so much that he left mommy here to take care of you." she told Narue, brushing her soft fur like hair. She was sure that her daughter would be picked on for her hair just like she had been when she was little, but if she was lucky that red hair may connect her to the one she was meant to be with just like it had done for her.

* * *

"Hey, Kushina," The voice was just above a whisper and Kushina was barely able to hear it over her daughters snoring in her arms.

Looking to the window she saw a very important person, his head down and his mane of white hair covering his face, hiding his expression from her. In his arms he held a urn.

"I was wondering where you've been. It's about damn time you cam to visit us, Jiraiya." Kushina said to him, beckoning him further into the room to be closer.

"Don't just stand there, come and meet your goddaughter," She told him, his head still down as he walked up to them, pulling up a chair next to the hospital bed.

"I brought, Minato," He told her placing the urn on the bedside table.

"Thank you," She told him with a soft smile.

"We didn't name her Naruto since she turned out to be a girl, but we did name her Narue, so it's pretty close. Your still her godfather" She told him, her eyes on her little girl.

"Naruto was a stupid name" he said, his head still down.

"No it wasn't. Naruto is the name of a hero" she quickly corrected him. Naruto was his character, and though they hadn't named their daughter after the character in the end after all, she still wished for Narue to be a great shinobi just like his character.

Jiraiya didn't argue.

There was a long silence between them, it was uncomfortable and awkward and that's when Kushina realized that not once had Jiraiya lifted his head to look at her or Narue. And then she saw them, the tears dripping from his chin.

"Jiraiya, look at me!" she ordered him, watching as he slowly rose his head to meet her eye.

"His death wasn't your fault, it was nobodies. He chose to make that sacrifice all on his own. And if you could ask him I know he would tell you he would do it all over again if he had to." She told him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder as they mourned Minato's loss together.

"I cant stay, it's too much for me. I'm leaving the village tonight, and I don't know if I'm ever going to come back," he told her seriously.

"I understand. His memory is everywhere." She sighed, if Uzushio still stood she would go there to raise Narue, But Konoha was also her home, it was where Minato was born and raised, it is the place that he had died for.

"Then before you go, at least hold your goddaughter once. And you have to promise that at least once a year you'll come back to visit us, I know Minato would want you to" She told him, holding Narue out to him to hold for just a little while.

"I don't-"

"She's supposed to be the baby here, not you. Just hold her like this, and be careful of her head," Positioning Narue in her godfathers arms, she watched as his eyes dried and Narue gave a yawn as she started to awaken.

She looked at her mother first, as if she always knew where to look to find her, and then she blinked up at the big man with snow white hair. Reaching up she grabbed a lock of that surprisingly soft spiky hair and tugged on it. Giving a giggle as Jiraiya yelped in pain, Narue looked up at him with big blue eyes that made him realize that his student wasn't entirely gone. A big piece of him was living inside of his daughter.

"Good bye, Kushina, Narue" he told them both as he handed the child back to her mother.

"See you later, Jiraiya." she said to him, watching as he disappeared through the window, leaving there little family alone.

* * *

Finally at long last Hiruzen gave the go ahead for Kushina and Narue to leave the hospital. Since the house she had shared with Minato just outside of town had been destroyed, Kushina had no choice but to move them into her family home on the edge of the village.

Because of their house being destroyed Kushina had to redo every last bit of shopping needed. But thanks to her impressive saving skills, and Minato's pay as Hokage they were set for a good number of years until she started taking missions again. She did most of the shopping for Narue's room by a catalog while she was still recovering in the hospital and had it all sent to her home. She also did Narue's clothe shopping and baby supplies the same way.

"Alright, Narue, time to go home and on the way we'll go shopping for some food for mommy because unlike you, I cant survive on formula and breast milk." Kushina laughed as she tucked her baby girl into the baby sling she wore. Once Narue was secured, Kushina said goodbye to the doctors and checked herself out of the hospital for good.

The moment she stepped out onto the streets and began her journey to the market she could feel the glares on her and her child. Not letting it phase her she kept on walking.

Kushina had even asked the Hokage to pass a new law that the younger generation would never know of what resided in her daughter, that the older generation were to never speak of it. She did this for her own daughters protection. The punishment was up to the Hokage if found that this law had been broken.

The glares were only the start. She knew they weren't just directed towards her but Narue as well, that they stared at her child with hatred and fear, and both of those things triggered violence. But as long as she was here she would protect Narue from that hatred and discrimination. She could only imagine what type of life Narue would have had growing up if Minato and her had both died, leaving their daughter alone even if she would become stronger for it.

Arriving at the market, Kushina bought fresh vegetable's and ingredients to cook dinner for herself for two weeks before she would have to go shopping again. As she did her shopping Narue looked around the farmers market with curious blue eyes. When they got to the fruit Narue tried to reach for an orange, in fact she tried to grab anything she saw that was orange.

"Kushina!" Turning Kushina smiled as she saw her best friend Uchiha Mikoto carrying a bag of her own groceries in her hand, her youngest son Sasuke tucked into his own baby sling.

"I heard you were getting out of the hospital today. I'm sorry I didn't visit more, but this little one has been hogging all my attention." Mikoto told her friend as she tilted her chin down to her son who was trying to reach for Narue, who reached right back until there fingers were touching.

"Ahh, how adorable. I was hoping the two of them would be friends," Kushina said as she cooed at the sight of their children interacting. The two woman finished their shopping before having to go separate ways.

"If you need any help with manual labor give me a call and I'll send some of the gennin in the Uchiha district over. It would be good to see their high and mighty butts take orders from someone like you who can beat their ego's away" Kushina agreed she would take Mikoto up on that offer if she really needed it before the two of them split ways.

* * *

Opening the gate to the small, traditional, Japanese style mansion that was once her parents, Kushina gave a sigh remembering the last time she had been here. It had been such a long time, and she only wished her return would have been due to happier circumstances.

It was located just far enough from the battle not to be touched. T9he Uzumaki clan symbol was carved proud and bold into the stone arch above the large double doors of the man entrance. A swirl with another circle around it and arrows pointing inwards in the positions of north, south, east and west.

"Welcome home, Narue." Kushina told her daughter, opening the gates to find a dozen boxes filled with the things she had ordered. Jumping over them she would first put the groceries away before starting to bring the boxes inside and setting up Narue's room.

"This is where Mommy grew up" She said, giving her baby the tour of the compound on the way to the kitchen. As she passed the court yard she noticed the wilting flowers and the leaves on the ground as fall arrived. It was both beautiful and sad.

Getting to the kitchen and flicking the light switch, Kushina was happy to find that all of the power to the compound had been turned back on. Putting the bags on the kitchen table, she opened the empty fridge and began to put the groceries that needed to be kept cooled inside, leaving out the ingredients for her to make herself a quick sandwich before getting to work on the house.

When Kushina was done with her own lunch, she fed Narue hers before burping her daughter. Putting Narue back in the sling, Kushina made her way back to the front entrance to start bringing the boxes in. She would be moving Narue into her old childhood bedroom. She had spent a good amount of her childhood in that room, and now her daughter would be spending hers in it as well.

She started with the small and light things first. It was the big things she was having a hard trouble lifting without squishing Narue. Remembering that among the boxes was a stroller, Kushina shifted around until she saw the box with the picture of the stroller on it and started to open it. If she set it up now, Narue could sit in it as she brought the things in without her getting in the way.

"So this go's here, and I screw this right here in hole A-" It took longer then she expected to put the damn stroller together, but at long last Narue was strapped in and cuddling with her blankly as she watched her mother bring the boxes into their house.

"And that is the last one. Now to get you inside so you can make giggles at mommy as she try's and fails to put your crib together." Kushina said with cheerful sarcasm, coming behind and rolling Narue into the house, down the halls, and to her nursery.

The walls of Narue's room were already a nice pale yellow from when Kushina had occupied it as a girl, so there was no need to re-paint. There was a large open window on the opposite wall from the door, letting a gentle breeze with a great view of the descending sun. She had a lot of work to do before the sun went down.

The first and most important thing that Kushina needed to do was to get the crib up so Narue would have somewhere to sleep tonight. Starting the process of putting the crib together, Kushina nearly gave up three times out of frustration. The instructions didn't make sense at all, at least not to her.

"Ok, Kushina, get yourself together. It's just a dang crib, ttebayo, you can but together a damn crib." the woman told herself, taking a deep breath before pushing up the sleeves of her kimono and getting back to work. Half an hour later she finally had the crib put up and the bedding laid down inside of it. The sun had set and Kushina was starving. She would make herself dinner, feed and change Narue, and then take a well deserved bath.

Pushing all the other boxes off to the side she shuffled around for the diapers and onesie's for Narue to wear to bed. Finally finding the diapers and the wipes, Kushina took her daughter from the stroller and used an empty box as a changing table, turning the box over and laying Narue on the flat bottom of it.

"Who's my stinky baby? You are, you are," she cooed as she changed Narue, watching as her daughter laughed and kicked her feet.

Kushina smiled to see that the seal had faded into her skin, only becoming visible in time of emotional stress or when she would call on the Kyubi's strength, just the same as her seal had. Finishing switching her dirty diaper for a clean one, Kushina put Narue in her pajama's and threw the dirty diaper away.

Putting Narue back in her stroller, Kushina rolled her too the kitchen so she could keep a close eye on her baby while she cooked herself dinner. Humming as she cooked, Kushina looked over her shoulder to see a butterfly had flown in from the open window and sat itself on Narue's nose. She laughed watching her daughter go cross eyed looking at it before it flew away. It was a sign, Kushina thought, for that butterfly to land on Narue. Her daughter would become a wonderful kunoichi, and an even better woman and human being. She would make sure of it.

* * *

TBC

Same message as before. I appreciate all follows, favorites, and especially reviews.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_One month later_

"God damn it, ttebane, not again!" Kushina cursed as she stared at the profanities painted on the front entrance of her home. Words like demon child, murderer, and die written in bold, red paint.

"I swear I'm gonna catch who ever is doing this," she promised as she pushed the gate open to go inside, rolling Narue's strolle inside, the groceries hanging from the handles.

Narue giggled as some of the fall leaves fell from the tree's and landed in her lap for her to play with. Kushina smiled at she watched her daughter run her little hands over a leaf, taking in the texture and color. She crinkled it in her hands, held it up to the sky and stared as the sun shone through it making the color come alive. She made a gasp of amazement.

Narue was a loud baby, but she was also a very happy baby and that's what was important to Kushina. Bug she could always say that she was never bored with her daughter. Right now Narue was unaware of the villagers malice towards them both. And as long as she could, Kushina would shield Narue from them and their hatred.

Rolling Narue all the way into the kitchen, she transferred her daughter from her stroller to her baby stool at the table. And just for a second she took a moment to look over her daughter. Narue's hair was tied in a little bow at the top and she wore an orange jacket for the chilly fall weather. The colors of the turning leaves were brilliant and Narue especially loved all the oranges. Her nose was a little red and so was her cheeks. Kushina would have to remember to put some warm lotion on her to keep her skin from chaffing.

Taking out the ingredients Kushina started to make herself some okayu, cooking some chicken and vegetables to go with it. She loved to cook, it helped to keep her mind off unpleasant things and focus on what was pleasant, such as her daughter playing with her toy frog, one of the only things that had made it out of the explosion.

Bang, bang, bang. Narue pounded the toy into the table, laughing at nothing as she waved her chubby little arms around.

And then she heard it, the loud footsteps running down the halls of her home, and Gai's boisterous voice as he chased down Kakashi. Her husbands student yelled for his friend to go home and stop bugging him. Kakashi was more of a lone wolf, but friends were important to him and no matter how much he complained she had a feeling he liked Gai's continuous challenges.

"But I want to see the youthful Narue-chan," Gai whined as he followed Kakashi through the unfamiliar halls of the Uzumaki Clan house. So far he had not visited them before, and Kushina had a feeling it was because Kakashi shook him off before he could follow. Apparently he wasn't successful this time.

"It's not up to me if you can see her, you have to ask Kushina-san," he told his _rival,_ giving a sigh as he turned into the kitchen where Kushina was already making the second bowl of okayu for him. It was a Friday, and Kakashi always came on a Friday to have lunch with them if he wasn't on a mission.

"I see you brought a guest. Would you like some okayu, Gai?" Kushina asked looking at the two young ninja.

"Oh, yes, if it's not a bother." He told her and she shook her head. Of course it wasn't, she loved having people over to cook for.

"She's so pretty. She looks like you, Kushina-san" Gai commented as came in front of the baby to get a good look at her. Narue tried to reach for the fuzzy things over his eyes.

"Gai, you might want to move away. She's only a month old, but she can already grip things pretty tight and if she get's a hold of those eyebrows of your's she'll rip them right off" Kakashi warned him. Gai paled, his eyes going wide as he looked between Kakashi and Narue who was reaching for his face. Listening to his rival he backed away from the infant and took a seat beside Kakashi at the table.

Putting down Kakashi's bowl in front of his usual seat-beside Narue at the head of the table-she told him to start eating while she quickly poured Gai a bowl of the porridge. Once she was done she put Gai's bowl in front of him where he sat at the table and joined them in her own seat opposite of Kakashi and next to her daughter who had a line of drool running down her chin.

"I really wish you would consider moving in with us, Kakashi, I hate thinking of you living alone. And it could be a real help to have someone else to be around for Narue when I start taking missions again." She told him with a heavy sigh.

"I wouldn't bother, Kushina-san," Gai advised with a shrug, before continuing to eat his food.

"I saw the front gate," Kakashi spoke, his food magically gone from his bowl before any of them could see him take off his mask to eat.

Kushina sighed as he commented on the vandalism. Though Kakashi refused to move in, he had become very protective of her and Narue since Minato passed. He somehow felt it was part of his responsibility as a student to take care of his late sensei's family now that he was gone.

"It's nothing. You know it's been happening since I brought Narue home. And besides I have a plan to catch the culprit soon." She told him, smiling before taking a bite of some chicken.

* * *

Next Friday morning Kushina sent two clones out to do the shopping, one henge'd as Narue.

Earlier that morning Kakashi had arrived to watch Narue inside while Kushina staked out in the tree's above, waiting for the criminal who kept vandalizing the front of her home. Kushina waited about twenty minutes before he finally arrived. It was a boy, probably two or three years younger than Kakashi. His brown hair was pulled into a spiky pony tail atop of his head, his skin was a brownish tan with a scar across his nose. He was holding a can of red paint.

'_Ah ha! so you're the one, ttebayo!' _Kushina thought, watching as the boy started to paint the first letter, but before he could start on the second one, Kushina jumped down from her spot. She watched him jump at the sudden thud of landing, turning around to face her and dropping the paint.

The boy visibly paled as the woman stood tall in front of him, her hands on her hips and her eyes a stern glare. She was one angry mama and she had had enough trouble from him. She was putting an end to it today.

"But you,-I saw you leave!" He yelled at her, stepping back away from the deadly woman. She wasn't just a powerful kunoichi, she was a pissed off mother. The boy wasn't sure which one was scarier.

"So you're the one who's been painting those horrible words. What's your name? Do your parents know you've been doing this, or perhaps their the ones who set you up to it?" she couldn't rule the latter possibility out, not when she has seen other parents look at her daughter as if she was the very devil.

Apparently she said the wrong thing as the boy grew red, a vein actually popping up in his neck before he started to scream at her in blind rage.

"My parents are dead, they were killed during the Kyubi attack! That demon murdered them! I hate you, and your demon spawn! You should both be dead instead of my parents!" Kushina patiently let him scream and yell at her, and eventually in his fury the boy had the courage to come up to her and start trying to punch her. He wanted to hurt her, to make her suffer and feel his pain.

He didn't know it, but she did feel his pain and understood it more then he realized. Because just like he had lost his parents who died to protect him, she had lost her own years ago, murdered by Kumo ninja, the same one's that had kidnapped her when she was young before Minato came and saved her. And just a month ago she had lost the love of her life who died protecting his family and his village just like this young boy's parents had done for him.

"What's you name?" She asked again, her voice gentle and soft as the boy finally broke down crying, his fist beating against her lightly as he started to loose his energy.

"Iruka. Umino Iruka." he hiccuped.

"Alright, Iruka-kun, your coming with me." She told him before pushing the gate open and hollered to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, watch Narue. I'll be back soon!" announcing her departure she grabbed Iruka's hand and began to drag him away with much protest from the young boy, not even a ninja yet.

"Wait, Kushina-San,-" Kakashi called, but by the time he got to the front gate she was far out of reach and sight.

Groaning he looked at the baby in his arms, her lips pulled back to show him a gummy smile. And then he smelt it. Sighing in defeat he turned around to go back into the house to change the baby's diaper, forcing himself to remember that this was his sensei daughter, and he was doing this for Minato-sensei.

* * *

Running past the anbu, and jounin guards, Kushina barged right into the Hokage's office where Hiruzen sat behind his desk, pipe in mouth, and going through paperwork for the reconstruction of their village.

"Ah, Kushina, what can I do for you on this sunny day?" Hiruzen asked, glad to have a distraction from all of the paper work he had to go through and sign.

"I want to adopt this boy," she told him as if she was ordering ramen at ichiraku, like it was no big deal at all.

"This is quite sudden, are you sure you want to take on the responsibility of not only raising your own infant daughter, but this young boy as well?" he asked.

Hiruzen knew of the boy, Umino Iruka . He had been causing quite a bit of trouble since his parents death. He was an orphan of war, who had become bitter and shut down to the world. But he also knew the resentment and hatred he held towards the Kyubi and there for Narue who now contained it. It could be dangerous for Narue if Kushina took him into her home.

"Yes. I could use the help around the house and with Narue, since Kakashi refuses to move in with me. This boy doesn't have a family or a home, I'm willing to provide for him in return for him helping me around the house." she told him with a shrug of her shoulders, her hands on Iruka's own who stared up at her with absolute shock.

"If your positive about this decision and have no doubts, then bring these papers to the orphanage and get them signed." he said, taking out a few papers from a drawer of her desk and handing them to her.

He was sure their was another reason for her wish to adopt the boy, but he doubted it was anything malicious so he gave her what she wanted. It might even be good for the boy. There was only one way to find out. Besides, Narue would also be gaining a sibling if all turned out well.

"Thank you," she told him before leaving the Hokage tower with Iruka in tow behind her as she dragged him along. Iruka was still too shocked that this woman wanted, no, planned on adopting him to even speak any form of protest on the matter.

Arriving at the orphanage, Kushina went straight to the front counter and handed the woman behind the desk the papers she received from the Sandaime Hokage.

"Hi, I would like to adopt this child." she told the woman. Kushina then noticed she wore a name tag. The woman's name was Anci.

Blinking up at the red-haired woman first, Anci then looked at the familiar face of Iruka and smiled. She like the child, so she was ecstatic to meet someone who wanted to adopt him. It was hard to find people to adopt, many villagers already had children, and ninja were almost too busy to raise a child. A lot of children had been left orphaned from the Kyubi attack.

"That's wonderful. I just need to fill out his information and paperwork, then I need to ask you a few questions and all you have to do is sign the adoption papers when I'm done. It shouldn't take long," Anci smiled before taking out the papers needed and began to fill out Iruka's information.

"Go get your things, Iruka-kun" Kushina told him with a grin as she waited to do her part of the paperwork.

Still dumb founded, Iruka made his way to the room he shared with his friend Mizuki in a daze to get his clothes and belongings. Being adopted wasn't even on the list of things that Iruka thought might happen if he got caught.

* * *

"Now do you have any children of your own?" Anci asked, as they got to the questionnaire part.

"Yes, a one month old daughter. I think Iruka and her will be a great pair of siblings." Kushina answered truthfully with a smile. At least that's what she hoped for their relationship.

Anci asked about her career, where she lived, the size of her home, past or present marriages, criminal history. "Prankster" Kushina had answered with a grin. Finally when they were all done with the questions and she was checked out to be a fit parent by their standards, she signed the papers and Iruka was officially hers to take home.

Just as Anci was making Kushina's copy of the paperwork for her own record and proof of adoption, Iruka came back with a bag slung over his shoulder. It was a small bag and Kushina knew that because of the pour funding the orphanage was getting that they couldn't afford him many things. It was such a shame.

"Thank you, Anci-san. Lets go home, Iruka-kun" Saying that, Kushina lead the two of them out of the orphanage and into the streets, making their way back into the direction of her house that he had been vandalizing for the last month.

"I don't understand why you have adopted me. Is it some type of cover so you can have full access to torture me?" Kushina gave a crude laugh, one that she had no control over, she just had a weird laugh.

"Wow, you sure have some imagination," she told him, continuing to laugh at how the boy viewed her. It was actually pretty hysterical what people and children thought she was capable of.

"If that's not it, then why did you adopt me?" He demanded to know frightened but still following her.

"Because I want to prove to you that my daughter is not the monster you think she is. And the best way to do that is have you spend every minute of everyday with her until you see that she is not the Kyubi that killed your parents." she told him seriously, her eyes looking dead ahead towards home where her baby waited for her with Kakashi.

She had adopted him, just to prove that her daughter wasn't the Kyubi? This lady was insane, Iruka thought. Who the hell did the orphanage let adopt him? She just took him in just to prove a point about her kid without even knowing him. Was Iruka's train of thought. But there was nothing he could do, his life had been put into her hands now.

* * *

"Narue, mommy's home baby, and I brought you a new brother!" Kushina called out as she ran thought the house in search of her daughter and Kakashi.

"Shh, I just got her to take a nap." Kakashi hissed at them as he poke his head out from Narue's bedroom/nursery.

"Oop's sorry," Kushina smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of head and tiptoeing passed Kakashi and into the room to see her sleeping angel.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked Iruka, staring down at the younger boy with mild suspicion as he would with any stranger.

"That's Iruka-kun, I adopted him." Kushina answered honestly, not seeing any reason to lie to Kakashi of all people.

"YOU WHAT!" and suddenly Narue was awake and screaming her head off.

"Oh, it's ok Narue, Kakashi didn't mean to scare you," Kushina cooed at the infant, picking her up out of her crib and cradling her in her arms as she tried to calm down her crying child.

"What do you mean you _adopted him_? This is the kid who's been painting 'demon child' on your front gate for a month, not a lost puppy!" Kakashi told her, trying not to scream anymore and upset Narue further. This woman was ridicules.

"I'm going to prove to him that Narue isn't a demon child, that's why I adopted him so he can spend everyday with her and see that his opinion of her is wrong," Said Kushina in a calm voice as she held Narue to her shoulder, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"What if he hurts her or even tries to _kill _her?" Kakashi asked far to calmly and relaxed as he said it.

"Don't worry, I'll be watching him like a hawk with her. I'm sure that after a month together he'll be the one watching over her and protecting her just like a real brother. No one can withstand my little Narue's charm." She told him, smiling as Narue started to calm down, sniffling lightly before she was snoring again. Now that Narue was once again asleep, Kushina laid her daughter down gently back in her crib, being careful not to wake her while putting her down.

"Alright, now that she's asleep again I'll show you your room, Iruka-kun." Kushina whispered, walking out of the room with the two boys behind her. Kushina's own room was right across from Narue's and she made a point in letting Iruka know that.

Iruka's room was plain and spacious. It wasn't decorated in anyway except for a bed in the center, a dresser off to the side, a desk and two bedside tables, the walls were painted a dark blue and a light shone from the center of the ceiling as she turned on the switch. It was one of the many guest rooms in her home, and now it would be his to decorate and do what he wanted with.

"If you want, we can go shopping so you can personalize it a bit, and it's big enough that it should last you a long time until you grow up and get your own place, if that what you end up wanting." she told him, letting him look around for a bit.

"I'll leave you alone to get settled then," she told him, closing the door behind him and leaving him alone to let everything really sink in.

Iruka had just been adopted by the Yondaime Hokage's widowed wife to pretty much be a live in babysitter so he could see that her daughter, Narue, was not in fact the Kyubi like he believed her to be. And now he was standing in his new bedroom where he would be sleeping for who knows how many years. Not exactly how he planned for his day to go down. And it wasn't even noon yet.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Kakashi asked as they made their way to the kitchen. It was almost time for lunch, and since there was now an extra mouth to feed Kushina wanted to get started on preparing their meal.

"I'm sure, Kakashi. I know what I'm doing," She told him, having faith that within two weeks Iruka was going to be mush in her daughters little hand. She was sure that one day Iruka would be the one protecting her from people who saw her the same way he currently did.

"I hope so." Kakashi said under his breath, and Kushina pretended she didn't hear him and rolled her eyes as they entered the kitchen.

Kushina had a good feeling about all of this, about Iruka, she felt like she might just be making a difference. And maybe if she could change one persons view on her daughter, then slowly, person by person she could change others as well. The rest was up to Narue to change their hearts when she got old enough. Kushina could only plant the seed, but Narue would have to water it and be the sun that helps it grow.

* * *

TBC

All follows, favorites and especially reviews are greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_One week later_

"So how are things going with Iruka-kun?" Mikoto asked Kushina.

"Now that he lives here he doesn't paint the main gate anymore, but instead he paints the most beautiful pictures of his sensei's at the academy on the doors of his classroom before school starts. I think he just want's some attention." She told her friend.

Iruka was a prankster, just like she was and he never caused any serious harm or damage. So when his sensei called she never punished him seriously, some extra chores or harder training, but nothing really severe. Some of the pranks were actually pretty funny. Kushina was also starting to take notice of his loneliness. She always made him spend so much time with Narue, but she doubted her daughter was much of a companion. Maybe it was time that Iruka and herself had some quality time to get to know one another as well.

"I still cant believe you adopted him on a whim," Mikoto said to Kushina as they sat together over tea. Their youngest children were having a play date. Itachi and Iruka were watching the babies while the two mothers had sometime to themselves.

"I don't think it's a bad thing of course, you're a wonderful woman for adopting him. I'm just worried about him being around Narue-chan," She admitted her fear, looking in the direction where her two sons were with Narue and Iruka playing.

"I don't think he'd have it in him to hurt her. Narue is just a baby, and soon enough he's going to realize that as well." Kushina told her, taking a sip of her tea as she looked out the window in the kitchen.

"Either way he's already in the academy, next year he'll be graduating and be an official adult in the eyes of this village. After that he can do what he wants, leave. But before then I at least want to change one persons opinion about my daughter. I know it's selfish," sighed Kushina, looking back at her best friend.

"Yes I suppose it is selfish, but maybe it's not because your doing it for Narue-chan so that she will be accepted." Mikoto smiled.

It was hard for Kushina to be a single mother, with only a little help from Kakashi when he could. But with Iruka around she could see that a little of the weight of taking care of her daughter had lifted from her shoulders.

"There also nothing wrong with asking for a little help once in awhile from others. You know I'm only ever a call away to come over and help out when you really need it." Mikoto said, placing her hand over Kushina's comfortingly. Her friend was the most stubborn and prideful person that she knew other than her own husband.

"Thanks, Mikoto."

* * *

"Why do you look at Narue-hime with such hatred?" Itachi suddenly asked the older boy, his brother laying in front of Narue, both infants on their stomach's and just staring at each other intently.

"It killed my parents." Iruka said, his glare never leaving the red-haired infant, her hair clipped with a pink and white poke-o-dotted bow.

"_It._ the Kyubi killed your parents_. She _is not the Kyuubi." Itachi corrected him, looking at the giggling girl as she tugged lightly on Sasuke's hair who whined but wasn't full out crying. Not yet at least.

Iruka didn't argue, he only glared harder at the child. Kushina had forbade him from leaving the little girls side the entirety of the play date while Mikoto and her sons visited. The only time he was aloud to leave was for the bathroom and he had a five minute time limit to go before returning to Narue's side. Kushina was very strict on this method of getting Iruka to see the innocent that Narue was.

The two boys didn't talk any further as they watched the two little ones try to roll themselves over, or reach for something out of their range until Itachi handed it to them.

After awhile Iruka became tired, letting his rigid posture relax as he sat against the wall. Just another year he would be a gennin and could leave this crazy lady and her demon child. It was getting harder, being around them, it was getting harder to keep hating the baby the more time he spent with her. But whenever he felt his resolve was slipping he just tried to picture his parents on the battlefield, weak and bleeding from defending against the Kyubi.

"Gah," turning his attention back to the little girl, he stared into big, bright blue eyes as her chubby hand reached for him.

"Gah!" her other hand joined, flexing her tiny stubs called fingers as she tried to roll closer to him. He knew what she wanted, but he would not oblige her.

"GAH, GAH!" she shouted at him with an angry and annoyed expression, her face starting to turn red, unable to crawl or even scoot to him on her own.

Sighing as he heard Sasuke start to whine, upset that Narue was, Iruka gave in and picked up the little girl and cradled her gently in her arms as she giggled and smiled up at him. His scowl eased into a passive line, his eyes softening as she cuddled her cheek into his sleeve, getting herself comfortable to take a nap.

"You may not like her, but it's obvious she loves you very much." Itachi stated as he picked up his squirming brother, who didn't like that Narue was being held and he was alone on the floor. Yawning Sasuke decided that Narue had the right idea and cuddled into his brother to get comfortable for his own nap.

Twenty minutes later the two boys were in as much of a dead asleep as the babies in their arms.

"I really think he's starting to warm up to her," Kushina told Mikoto with a grin as they stood in the door way watching the sleeping children.

"Should we wake them?" Mikoto asked, knowing that it was near dinner time.

"It's up to you to wake, Itachi. But I think Iruka's deserves a good nap." her grin slipped into a soft smile and her violet eyes softened as she took notice of how her daughter clung to Iruka. She had become attached to him, and it would break her heart if he decided to leave them.

Staring at the relaxed, peaceful expression Iruka had as he slept she vowed to spend a little more time with him. Maybe she would treat him to ramen at Ichiraku, it was always the perfect medicine for a bad day for her and Minato. Maybe it would help him open up to her.

"How about you just stay for dinner. I'm sure Fugaku wont die if your not there to cook him dinner," Kushina offered. Iruka always helped her make dinner for the two of them, and he wasn't bad, but it would be nice to have a conversation about different recipes with her best friend while cooking together. She missed the chatting she did with Minato as she cooked. She was lonely for someone of her own age.

Mikoto thought about it, before agreeing to stay for dinner in exchange that Kushina, Iruka and Narue came over next week for dinner with her family. Kushina agreed and the two women made their way to the kitchen to start getting dinner ready, sure that by the time they were finished cooking the children would be awake.

* * *

"Do you miss it, Mikoto?" Kushina suddenly asked as she took out the leak for the nabe they were making for dinner.

"Miss what?" Mikoto asked for a bit more information on exactly it was she was supposed to be missing.

"Going on missions?" Mikoto sighed. She had been waiting for Kushina to ask, just the same way Kushina asked her about giving birth and being a mom when she learned she was expecting her own little bundle of joy.

"Sometimes. But I don't regret becoming a stay at home mom and housewife either. Besides, I still have my sharingan and I still train to keep strong." she told her friend honestly. It was true that she missed the shinobi life she had before Itachi was born, but she also enjoyed relaxing at home and having the time to train her son and nurture him to his fullest potential.

"I miss it a lot. I miss kicking butt, battebane. But then I think if I start taking missions, I might miss something in Narue's life when I'm gone." Mikoto laughed at the pout her friend was wearing. She was so cute sometimes.

"That's every parents fear, Kushina, that if they even turn their back from their children for even a second they'll miss something important." even she, who spent almost every second of the day with her children worried that if she even blinked she was going to miss out on something wonderful.

"All we can do is cherish the moments we are there to witness and be a part of. I get so jealous that I just cant go to school with Itachi and watch him make all of his academic accomplishments first hand, and instead I have to wait until he come home to tell me about them, or for the teacher to call me and tell me what a great job he's doing ant that I should be proud." she says dreamily, a proud smile on her face yet her eyes were sad.

"Itachi is already so independent, and the pressure Fugaku puts on him as the eldest son and heir of the clan makes me worry he's going to grow up way too fast for any mothers liking." she admitted, her eyes glistening but not letting even one tear fall from her dark eyes.

"I had decided long ago that I would not hide my relationship with Minato from the world, he was my husband and any enemy that came our way we would fight together. And I decided for Narue that she would grow up knowing who her father is, to take on his surname, so she will be proud of him and one day come to understand why he did what he did. Because of that choice she will be a target for his enemies, so she going to have to learn how to defend herself even before she starts the academy." Kushina shared her own fears as well. Fearing the consequences of her choice and how it was going to effect Narue as she raised her. Her daughter would have to be stronger, so that she would be ready if her fathers enemies came for her to take revenge.

"But she's both our daughter. I'm not sure what parts of her personality she's going to get from us, but I do know that she going to be very brave so I know no matter what comes her way she's going to be fine." Kushina smiled, and her confidence in her child was contagious as Mikoto felt a little better about Itachi. After all no matter how fast your child grows up, their always going be your baby.

* * *

There is a soft whimper that wakes him. Immediately he assumes it's Narue, and a rush of fear and panic-that he would deny he felt-washed over him as he bowed his head to look at the little girl in his arms. She wasn't making a sound except for her even breathing, a line of drool running down her chin.

"Sorry. Did he wake you?" Looking up, Iruka see's that Itachi is laying Sasuke in Narue's crib.

"No." Iruka shook his head.

Carefully standing up, he laid Narue beside the young boy gently, brushing some of her feather soft hair before drawing his hand back quickly, as if he had been burned. Sometimes he thinks, that it could be so easy to end her life but he knew he could never do it, he didn't have it in him to go through with his dark thoughts. He wouldn't become a murderer.

"I believe Kushina-san and my mother have prepared dinner, I can smell it from here." Itachi told him as he began to make his way out of the room, letting the baby's sleep while they had dinner. Before following Iruka made sure that the baby monitor was on, knowing that there were three more in the house to listen in on the children. One in his room, one in Kushina's and the last in the kitchen where they spent most of their time.

"Ah, Itachi, is your brother still sleeping?" Mikoto asked just as she began to set the table for dinner.

"Yes, Mother, he's asleep in the crib with Narue-hime" he told her, taking a seat and waiting patiently as Iruka came into the kitchen after him, his head down as he took his own seat.

"It's so sweet how you call her princess," Mikoto commented with a giggle.

"Would that make you her prince, Itachi-kun?" Kushina joined in, teasing the boy and watching as his cheeks colored pick just slightly.

Kushina noticed that Itachi was quite like Minato when he was a boy. Calm, collected, and very perceptive if not a bit feminine in looks. But she had thought the same when she had first met Minato. Her husband would greatly approve of him if it was he who their daughter fell in love with when she came of that age. He would be her perfect match, her other half, if Narue turned out anything like her, just like Minato had been hers.

From there on dinner went on peacefully until the cry's of one of the children disturbed the tranquility of their light conversation. Standing up before anyone could even register the movement Itachi volunteered to check on his brother and Narue. Nodding her approval, Kushina allowed him to go off on his own to tend to the two infants.

Leaving the others, Itachi was quick to arrive at the nursery. Both baby's now wailing as the one had awoken the other. Letting a rare smile come out he peered over the crib, where the two started to calm the moment they saw him. Just with his brother in the room, Sasuke was able to find a sudden peace and calmness that allowed him to fall back asleep while Narue next to him laid wide awake staring up at Itachi.

"Tah," She said as if trying to pronounce his name, holding up her arms for him to pick her up, and he couldn't resist the chance to hold the little girl, the daughter of the Yondaime. She was practically the princess of Konoha, even if she wasn't treated like one.

Leaning over her picked the child up and cradled her in his arms, smiling softly as he was honored with her own little smile, her big blue eyes blinking up at him

"I knew your father, I met him and I admired him greatly. I want to be a strong and loyal shinobi just like he was, with a woman just as strong as your mom at my side like he had." he admitted his dreams to the little baby.

It was something in her eyes that had him opening up without any real thought to what he was saying. Speaking from his heart in a moment of vulnerability knowing the child couldn't use it against him, after all she couldn't really understand him yet.

He was completely enthralled by Narue that he had forgotten that the baby monitor was on allowing his mother and the others to listen in. Kushina had blushed when he heard him compliment her, and wished to find someone like her for himself when he got older.

"I hope you can be good friends with my precious little brother. He means a lot to me, and I want him to have a trusting and loyal friend, just like I have Shisui." He said, rocking her gently, though she looked no where near close to falling asleep again like his brother had. Now that she was awake, she was going to stay awake for awhile.

* * *

"If you don't mind, let's pretend we didn't hear him say any of that. He's a very private child and he doesn't speak of his feelings or wishes often so it would absolutely humiliate him if he realizes we heard his confession." Mikoto said as she turned the monitor off in the kitchen.

"My lips are sealed, Mikoto. I will never bring it up, I promise." Kushina swore. Iruka had gone before Itachi had started to speak, having finished his meal just after Itachi had left and asked for permission to leave to study for a test he had coming up at school. Kushina of course immediately let him go.

If there was one thing she could say about Iruka was that he was a very studious child despite his pranks, he took his lessons in class seriously. And though she wasn't his true mother, or had any relationship with him that was close to a familial one, Kushina was very proud of him every time she was reported to on his good grades.

"Thank you." Mikoto expressed her gratitude before helping to clean and put away the dishes.

* * *

"Itachi, it's about time for us to be going home. Get your brother ready and then we'll say goodbye to Iruka-kun, and thank Kushina for having us." His mother told him as she entered the room with her best friend, who relieved Itachi and took her daughter from his arms so they were free get his brother for his mother.

Once they had gathered there things, and Itachi had wrapped his brother warmly in his blanket, Itachi pocketed him in his baby sling, asking his mother if he could carry Sasuke home. She of course let him.

"Thank you so much for having us over, Kushina. And remember if you ever need anything, _anything _at all no matter how small don't hesitate to call me." Mikoto told her with all seriousness, knowing how proud and stubborn Kushina could be at times, but she was sure when it came to her daughter she wouldn't hesitate to ask if she wasn't sure of something or needed help.

"I love having you over, I wish you had the time to come over more often but I understand it's hard to get around much when you have, Sasuke-kun, to take care of. But I suppose even when he is older the job of a mother never ends, does it?" Mikoto only smiled before telling Itachi it was his turn to say his farewells.

"Thank you for dinner and tea, Kushina-san. It was nice meeting you Iruka-kun. Goodbye, Narue-hime, I hope to see you again soon." as he said his final farewell he gave the little princess a kiss on her cheek, brightening as he saw his kiss made her giggle and smile widely, her hand stretching out and patting his cheek in return for his kiss.

And then they were gone, exiting through the front gates back to their own home. Their visit had been fun and long over due, helping to cure Kushina's own loneliness just slightly. It was also a nice treat for Naruto, to have a child her age to bond with other then Iruka who was basically her nanny.

That night after Narue was fed, changed and put down for bed Kushina took the time and watched her daughter sleep. Everyone said that she looked like her, but every time she stared at her daughter face she saw Minato, and it broke her heart. Sliding down she covered her mouth with her hand as she rested against the crib, allowing herself a rare moment to cry and just miss her husband and feel the pain and hardship of single parenthood.

Their daughter was growing and getting bigger everyday and he was missing it. But she had to remember she was here, to experience it all for the both of them. But that didn't always make it easier for her to get along with her life.

She just had to remember who she was living for. Narue. She was she who she was living for, and she would continue to do so no matter how painful it was without Minato.

* * *

TBC

So if you couldn't tell I gave some pretty heavy hints of who I'm _thinking_ of pairing Narue with mostly because if you really look hard, Itachi is a lot like Minato. If you have any objections let me know in a polite manner, and if you have a better idea of who she should be with speak up. This is not a dead set on the pairing, just something I threw in there to see how I feel.

There is also a reasonably chance it's going to be Shikamaru who she ends up with. Have you ever noticed that a lot of femnaru or Naruko is paired with Sikamaru? But Sasuke is also a possibility, so I'm not ruling him out either. I know a lot of people do Sasuke, and that is really tempting for me since I haven't done Sasuke/Naru since I first started and used to right yaoi of the two down on paper when I was still in high school though I don't right yaoi anymore. But I also love shikanaru, but I'm already right another story with that pairing. So Itachi is in the lead for me but I'm still not sure.

But otherwise let me know what you think in your reviews.

Also, all favorites, follows and especially reviews are appreciated as always.


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